NYPD, FDNY engage in wild brawl at charity hockey game
The NYPD and FDNY took the ice Sunday for their annual charity hockey game at Nassau Coliseum. And while it started out with the usual spirit of camaraderie, it didn't take long for things to get out of hand.
Like, really out of hand.
As CBS New York reports, with the score tied 3-3 in the second period, the teams engaged in the type of full-out bench-clearing brawl that was typically seen in the NHL during the 1970s and '80s, and is still occasionally waged in the minors today.
At one point almost all of the players on both sides were fighting, save for the goalies.
"It was reminiscent of the old-time Rangers-Flyers games in the mid-70s," one NYPD cop who was at the game told the NY Post. "I was waiting for (legendary Philadelphia Flyers enforcer) Dave Schultz to come out on the ice."
That same cop said he'd been coming to the annual clash for 20 years and had never witnessed anything like what happened on Sunday.
The video was taken by hockey fan Ken Ternlund who can be heard screaming in the background.
"All of a sudden it just look like gloves were dropping, helmets were dropping, and all of a sudden an all-out war just broke out," Ternlund told CBS 2.
Following a 25-minute delay to restore order -- featuring the officials compiling a list of penalty minutes that would make old-school NHL fans smile - the teams got back to actually playing hockey and the NYPD went on to win 8-5, ending a five-game losing streak in the series.
FDNY now holds a record of 23-16-2 vs. the NYPD in the series, CBSSports.com reports.
No serious injuries were reported.